CS:GO Rio Major Postponed Until November, Prize Pool Doubled

The ESL One Rio CS:GO Major has been delayed until late November due to the coronavirus pandemic, the tournament organizer announced today. The event was originally scheduled to take place in May, with the preceding Minors being played throughout April. The tournament has now taken the place of 2020’s second CS:GO Major, with the second event being canceled altogether. The prize pool has also been combined with that of the second Major, for a total of $2,000,000.

Scheduled as the 16th CS:GO Major championship, ESL One Rio was meant to begin on May 11th in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The preceding Minors were set to take place in April, sending two teams from four different regions to the main event. CS:GO Majors bring 24 of the world’s best teams together in a fight for a $1,000,000 prize pool. Teams who placed 9-14th at the previous Major gain an invite to the Challengers Stage, while the top eight teams are placed in the Legends Stage. The additional ten teams advance from the regional Minor circuit.

ESL One Rio has now officially been postponed, taking the place of 2020’s second CS:GO Major. ESL’s VP of Pro Gaming Michal “Carmac” Blicharz states in a Reddit post, “There will be one CS:GO Major this year. The prize pools of the May and November Majors have been added together, making the prize purse for this Major $2,000,000.” The event will begin on November 9th and run until the 22nd. ESL One Rio will be the first CS:GO Major to take place in South America.

The Rio Major is not the only esports event to be affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. ESL’s Dota 2 Los Angeles Major was postponed, and the following Dota Pro Circuit Major and Minor were outright canceled. Premier CS:GO and Starcraft II event IEM Katowice went on without a live crowd. Multiple Overwatch League homestand events have been canceled, and professional League of Legends leagues have been moved online.

The ESL One Rio Major will take place in November at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Tickets purchased for the May tournament will remain valid, and ticket holders who do not wish to keep theirs may ask for a refund. Further information regarding team qualification will be released in the coming months.

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